Dustin and Kyla Estes are proud to be raising their daughters, Amya and Allie, on their cow-calf farm in #AgriReady Bollinger County near the rural community of Bessville. Dustin and Kyla both have off-the-farm agricultural careers to earn a living, but they believe that the life they love is made on the farm. By encouraging their daughters to learn and contribute daily on the farm, they are #PoweringFamilyTraditions.

Dustin works at the Co-op Service Center in Jackson as a commercial applicator of dry fertilizer where he also sells and distributes propane. Kyla works in sales at her family’s business, Mouser Steel, in nearby Patton. Dustin and Kyla both grew up in the area, each on their own family’s cow-calf operation and both enjoyed showing cattle as members of 4-H and FFA. Today, they raise quality, commercial replacement heifers from their cow-calf pairs in partnership with Kyla’s family. Their goal is to feed out their own steers, but the farm will need more space to be able to diversify to that revenue stream.

In 2019, Dustin and Kyla were able to build their dream home on the family farm.

“I love looking out and seeing the view of the farm,” Kyla said. “Sometimes I see a problem on the farm looking out my kitchen window, but I have also solved a lot of problems looking out the same window.”

Some of what Dustin and Kyla can see from their home are their daughters, Amya and Allie, learning to love family traditions and life on the farm just as much as they do. The girls keep their bottle calf projects not far from the house so they can learn responsibility and independence during evening feedings and cattle work. Amya and Allie are official gate openers and they each get to name and number their own cows. Dustin and Kyla are proud to take care of their cattle herd.